The first trailer for this year’s wildly anticipated franchise finale event, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, has finally arrived online, promising a dramatic and deeply moving conclusion to what has become the most critically acclaimed YA franchise out there today.
President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is squarely in Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) crosshairs in the final chapter, and understandably so. As the rebellion against Panem’s totalitarian government grows beyond all repression, the dictator becomes increasingly savage in his attempts to hurt Katniss and crush every freedom fighter who follows her. From the looks of the speeches Katniss, now a symbol of the rebellion thanks to her actions in the arena and after the destruction of the Hunger Games, is giving, he hasn’t succeeded in that endeavor. Still, this is the last of the series, and there’s a prevailing sense that nothing – and no one – is safe.
It’s particularly thrilling to see all the cast members from the series pop up for a few moments in the preview. Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) certainly looks better than when we left him writhing on a hospital bed at the end of Mockingjay – Part 1, and Finnick (Sam Claflin) has lost none of his dry humor – that joke about the invasion of the Capitol serving as the 76th Hunger Games seems spot-on. After all, franchise director Francis Lawrence (no relation) wasn’t going to miss out on the chance to stage another epic battle in the streets of Panem, now was he?
Here’s the official synopsis. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 opens November 20.
The blockbuster Hunger Games franchise has taken audiences by storm around the world, grossing more than $2.2 billion at the global box office. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 now brings the franchise to its powerful final chapter in which Katniss Everdeen [Jennifer Lawrence] realizes the stakes are no longer just for survival – they are for the future.
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow [Donald Sutherland] in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale [Liam Hemsworth], Finnick [Sam Claflin] and Peeta [Josh Hutcherson] – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong and features an acclaimed cast including Academy Award®-winner Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Academy Award®-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone with Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland reprising their original roles from The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The impressive lineup is joined by The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 co-stars Academy Award®-winner Julianne Moore, Mahershala Ali, Natalie Dormer, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson and Evan Ross.
